Allen & Overy

"I have never felt disadvantaged by not studying law"

Pivo prosim!  I thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate degree, Economics at UCL.  This was combined with emerging markets modules which enabled me to study in the Czech Republic and appreciate a different culture.

After graduating I spent one year on the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), an intensive course which involved both academic training and problem-based tutorials to enable the non-law graduate to gain the foundations of legal knowledge required for practice.  The course differed from my degree predominantly in terms of the timetabling (I seem to recall having a bit more free time at university!)
The Legal Practice Course (LPC) had a more vocational feel to it than the GDL.  The learning was centred around skills required for practice, which made it a great introduction to life as a trainee solicitor.  We had sessions on interviewing, advising, advocacy and refined the legal research skills gained on the GDL.

Since joining A&O in March 2007, I have never felt that I have been disadvantaged by not studying law as an undergraduate, in fact I feel that I am well placed for understanding the commercial context of law and have broad experience to bring to the profession.  The content of the GDL and LPC have more than adequately prepared me for the training contract thus far.

I have just completed my first seat in International Capital Markets and was able to put some of the skills that I had learnt on the LPC into practice by drafting contracts and Listing Particulars for an interesting petroleum deal which I was lucky enough to have a lot of involvement in.

I am now sitting in the Real Estate department and am very glad that I held on to my GDL and LPC notes, one week into my seat and I am referring to them already!